The Deep awarded development funding

Brilliant news that Estonian noir drama The Deep, a 12 part TV series being developed from Screen Academy Scotland MA Screenwriting graduate Lauri Lippmaa's MA graduate project, was awarded development funding from the Estonian Film Institute (EFI).

The Deep is written by Screen Academy Scotland graduates Lauri Lippmaa (also head writer), Alexia Fernández Frasquet (MA Screenwriting) and Paul Cahill (MA Screenwriting). It is story edited by Screen Academy Scotland lecturer Nigel Smith and its main producer is Ivo Felt of AllFilm, Estonia.

The Deep tells the story of a seasoned Estonian homicide detective who is forced to partner with a tech-savvy, ambitious counter-intelligence officer when the daughter of a prominent Estonian family is found dead and her twin sister is kidnapped. As a wave of mysterious cyberattacks cause chaos across the country, their investigation leads them into the murky world of corporate crime, exposing a plot to infiltrate the cutting-edge multi-national digital alliance, the Trust Federation.

“Including state support in the developmental phase of mini-series is a very important milestone and a clear signal that the film and television world values the time that screenwriters spend developing a quality architectural backbone and cohesive form as the story moves from episode to episode,” said Lauri Lippmaa.

Ivo Felt added “We are also trying to instill a somewhat new notion for Estonia – that of the writer’s room and hoping that it will give the story systematic density.”